How to be a Heartbreaker
by missyme48
Summary: Modern day fic in which William and Julia meet at night club
1. Chapter 1

_Ok so this is a little au fic inspired by and named after 'how to be a heartbreaker' by Marina and the Diamonds. I honestly have no idea what kind of music modern Julia would like but I got inspired by this so I just stuck with it. I have 2maybe 3 more stories in the pipeline and hope to get them done soon. But for now, enjoy :)_

Sweat and sexual desire hung in the air like a mist and seemed to coat every surface. William made his way back to the booth at the far end of the club, lost among the sea of bodies. He didn't want to be here and as far as he saw it he had two option: leave now and confirm the station's thought that he had no social life or stay and wait for George to get drunk enough for him to be able to sneak away unnoticed.

Choosing the latter, he slipped into the booth and sat down on the black leather upholstery. George had chatted up a blonde woman; pretty with a seductive voice and even more seductive smile. She was now practically sitting on his lap, one hand on his chest and her mouth was a moth's breathe away from his ear. They were too wrapped up in each other to pay any attention to him and he was grateful, he wasn't in the mood to make conversation. He took out his phone and loaded and eBook.

"Murdoch, are you reading," George exclaimed but he was barely heard over the song about someone yelling timber. William sighed and opened his mouth to explain that he wasn't enjoying himself when George cut him off, sliding to twenty dollar bills across the table. "Do us a favour and get us bottle, but none of the weak stuff."

William took the money and forced his way through the wall of people to the bar. He sat on one of the black swivel stools and waited for the barman's attention.

"You know, drowning yourself in alcohol doesn't solve your problems." The voice was playfully serious and placed particular emphasis on the "doesn't". The owner was beautiful; with lip-gloss shined lips, blonde hair slightly curled that fell to her shoulders. She wore a one shouldered sparkly silver dress and matching heels. She looked up but continued to swirl the olive in her drink and looked him straight in the eye.

"This alcohol is not for me and it's being used to celebrate a conquest."

"Ah, so you're the third wheel." It wasn't a question but a statement of fact and she nodded before looking him up and down. "Is she pretty?"

"I-I guess," he answered, feeling uncomfortable, not because of the odd question but because he suddenly felt a loss of control in the situation.

She laughed at the lost puppy look on his face before finishing the rest of her drink and offering her hand to him. "I'm Julia Ogden."

"William Murdoch." He took her hand. Her grip was firm but gentle and, even though it lasted a moment too long to be deemed appropriate, it still seemed to be over to quick. The purchase of alcohol had been forgotten, William reasoning that if George wanted it badly enough he'd eventually get it himself. They talked for a while, mostly about the people who had forced them here and then ended up ditching them. The more they discussed, he realised the girl George had picked up was in fact Julia's sister, a journalist called Ruby, who Julia was very annoyed at. She downed the last of her second drink and gracefully slid of the stool.

"Hey, let's say we get out of her and go somewhere quitter? I know this great little bar not far from here."

They collected their jackets and pushed their way through more people. When they got outside, the Toronto night had gotten chillier and Julia pulled her leather jacket tighter around her but it did little to keep out the air's icy fingers. William placed his jacket over her shoulders. She smiled at his chivalrous act and linked her arm through his to pull his warmth closer to her. Thankfully it wasn't too far and when they arrived, Julia went to the bar and William sat down at a table tucked into the corner.

She called over to him asking what he wanted and he started to say he'd pay for his own when she cut him off with the look that told him it wasn't up for discussion. He nodded and told her he would like tea; he wasn't much of a drinker, never had been, and the only time he suffered through coffee was at the station and even then he usually dumped most of it down the sink when George wasn't looking. Julia placed his mug and front of him and he took a sip and let out a sigh of content as the drink warmed his stomach.

"So, William, what do you do to be able to afford such a fancy watch?" She asked, taking a sip of coffee. She looked at him again (she seemed to be doing that A LOT) and studied his face and the way you could slightly make out his toned stomach through his shirt. God, he was handsome. The watch, in truth, wasn't that fancy. He had bought it for sixty dollars about four years ago and hadn't really paid much attention to it until now.

"I'm a homicide detective," he answered, feeling utterly enchanted under her gaze. He knew she was checking him out but he didn't mind because he had done the same, several times already. "And you?"

"Psychiatrist."

"Does your life not have enough problems, Doctor?" He teased and felt his smile grow wider when he saw her roll her eyes at his use of her title.

"Well with a family like mine, who needs enemies?" She raised her cup to her lips and blew on it before drinking. He opened his mouth to ask her what was so bad but decided against it, if she wanted to continue she would. She placed the cup back on the table and cleared her throat and he knew that that topic of conversation had been cleared away too. "But I didn't suggest we come here to bore you with my daddy issues."

"Is that a technical term?"

She rolled her eyes at him again and smiled, really smiled. In the moment something clicked. Her mouth opened slightly as his hand covered hers. They both leaned over the table and their lips were a hair's breadth away when the voice of Marina and the Diamonds interrupted them. She groaned before opening her clutch and answering her phone.

"Yeah, Ruby…..well of course I left, you ditched me for Crab-apple….Crabtree, whatever…you want me to come collect you? What about Crabtree?...His dog's sick?...Right yeah I'll be there in ten, just don't move."

"Sisterly duties?"

"Unfortunately. Look, I'm really sorry but I'm gonna have to ditch you."

"Of course but before you go ,may I have your number?" He asked standing up.

Julia smile cryptically at him and leaned in very close to his ear. The scent of her perfume washed over him. "You're a detective, right? Find me."

He stared, dazed, in her wake and sunk back down. Oh, he would definitely find her.


	2. Chapter 2

_Ok people here is the second chapter! This is a huge thing for me because it's the first time I've ever written a second chapter. Not a huge deal happens but bear with me I promise next chapter we'll start to get into it. The more this goes the more I realise the title may start to not have anything to do with it anymore but for now it's fine. I don't really have an update schedule so bear with me on that front. If you guys want to follow me on tumblr my name is: nikkiheat16. Well I shall stop rambling now. Enjoy :)_

Julia rolled over and pulled the duvet tighter around her. She was tired; she had stayed out a lot longer than she had planned but she wasn't complaining, the little deviation in her plans had been fun and she was beginning to wish she had just given William her number. Who knows, she could be out having lunch with him later, enjoying herself if she hadn't tried to be mysterious. Then again she wasn't an Einstein when it came to picking guys and at least this way she would know that if he went to the bother of finding her that chances were he was serious about it. Or maybe she had just gone and completely turned him off. God, she hated this dating thing. Sighing, she dragged herself out of bed and grabbed a pair of socks from the drawer beside her bed before making her way to the kitchen.

The digital clock on the breakfast bar read ten thirty but Ruby was already up and dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, white shirt and grey blazer. Julia sat down and grabbed a banana from the fruit basket while her sister went to put on another pot of her coffee.

"Going somewhere?" Julia inquired peeling her fruit. She unlocked her phone but there was nothing. So far, not so good.

"I thought we could go shopping before I leave," Ruby answered regarding suspiciously the way her sister kept checking her phone and added," I saw this dress that I think would look great on you."

Julia mad a non-committal sound in the back of her throat and kept looking at her phone. She knew it was unlikely that he was up yet, let alone had managed to track her down but a part of her was still holding out hope. Ruby kept talking about what they could do later but stopped when she realised Julia wasn't paying her any attention. Silence descended, broken when Ruby put the coffee down in front of her sister; a little too forcefully.

"Geez, Ruby, what did my coffee mug ever do to you?"

"Nothing but its owner is ignoring me. Who are waiting on, Jules?"

"No-one," she answered quickly. Ruby raised one eyebrow in her trademark that said:_ 'I do not believe you.' _Julia sighed and took the mug into her hands. "Alright, so, I met this guy-" That was as far as she got before Ruby cut her off with a squeal.

After she reminded her sibling that she had neighbours Ruby said," I'm sorry, Jules, but I'm happy. I was about to buy you a cat."

Julia's jaw fell open but she supposed her sister did have a point; she had been single for a while now but she hadn't really minded. That's where she and Ruby differed; she didn't have to be surrounded by people. Though, right now, the thought of dating, or rather, dating William did sound quite appealing. Now all she had to do was wait and see if he could find her.

"Now while you wait, go get dressed and lest have a girls afternoon before I leave."

Julia nodded and accepted her sister's excited hug before going to get changed.

[x]

William had tried it the easy way first; he had googled her on the basis that if she was a psychiatrist she could have a private practice and a hence a website and a phone number. That wasn't the case. The only thing he could find was a copy of a research paper probably done as part of her PhD. He had hoped to keep this a secret until he had gone out with Julia at least a couple of times but beggars can't be choosers. He took out his phone and called Detective Emily Grace who had agreed to cover his Sunday shift. He gave her Julia's name and occupation and asked her to find out what she could when she had the chance. She then proceeded to ask a million and one questions, which he managed to deflect until she got bored and promised to run the name. That was at ten thirty.

Three agonizing hours later, she finally got back to him and this time she wasn't letting him go until she got some information.

"Ok, I know she's not a suspect in anything," Emily told him while eating a donut. "So who is she?"

"No-one important," he answered.

"Then why do you want to find her so badly?"

"Don't you have other work to do," he asked. Emily was a co-worker and a friend but she could be a bit over bearing at times. She tried to pry some more but when she realised her break was almost over she told him what he wanted to know and said goodbye.

[x]

When Julia got the text she had just said down in a small café after two and half hours of following Ruby around. Ok, maybe that was a bit harsh considering she had actually enjoyed herself but when it came to shopping with Ruby it was very much a dictatorship. She had checked her phone more out of habit and when she saw the new message icon she had felt her brain start to float in endorphins.

**W:** _I believe I have found you._

**J: **_Yes, I do believe you have._

**W:** _Would you like to have dinner with me sometime?_

_Let me think about it, _she sent before waiting two seconds and sending, _yes._

**W: **_Great. Does tonight suit?_

"If that's William asking you out, Jules, you're going," Ruby said sitting down. She had never seen her sister smile so much over a guy before; it was wonderfully refreshing. She knew her sister hadn't had much luck when it came to guys and now Ruby was afraid she would start pushing them away all together. She knew she could push Julia's buttons quite often but she really did care for her sister; more then she would probably ever admit.

"How did you know?" Julia asked while texting William back that tonight was perfect. He texted back with a time and a place and said he would she her later. She put her phone away and smiled at the waiter who brought their food.

"Let's just say, Jules, you'd make a terrible poker player," she said messing before turning serious," I really hope he's perfect, Jules. You deserve it."

Julia nodded, her logical brain telling her that the chances were slim; but she knew this train of thought was exactly what Ruby was trying to get from her head.

In her stomach, the butterflies were beginning to stir.


	3. Chapter 3

_So here it is the date chapter. I actually wrote this a lot quicker than I thought I would. This story will be a bit of a case fic but it won't be too heavy. I still don't have an update schedule but I will try to upload as often as I can I promise. For now enjoy! :)_

It was almost six but the park was still full of people soaking up the last of the sun. A picnic hadn't been his original idea; he had first planned dinner in a restaurant but when he saw the sun wasn't relenting he had decided that the evening was going to be too beautiful to spend cooped up inside. So he had searched for a picnic basket in his apartment before giving up and just buying one on his way to pick the food. He had chosen Italian after texting her about the change plans and had gotten it from this little restaurant he had attended a birthday at once upon a time.

Julia sat leaning against a tree, its bark supportive against her back. She had kicked off her shoes quite a while ago and with her legs slightly bent and food perched on her stomach she could feel the grass underneath the patchwork blanket. As far as first dates went this one was pretty good and quite relaxed but she was loathe admitting it in case she managed to jinx the whole thing. She felt comfortable; conversation was flowing freely even if it wasn't anything profound.

"So George and I both decided to try out and he was all proud and then he went to get on the horse and he fell right over the animals back," William finished his story barely containing his laughter at the memory. Julia, very unladylike, snorted and choked on a mouthful of her drink.

"Right well one time, we were at this lunch for the hospital board when I was a child and there was this bouncy castle and at the time I loved bouncy castles. And I had eaten a lot and my father had explicitly warned me not to go on it after I had eaten so much but I did anyway-"

"You didn't, did you?"

"Oh yeah," she continued," Puked everywhere."

William laughed and twirled some more of his pasta around his fork. He watched the smile stay on her face and was glad. He hardly knew her but for some reason he wanted her to be happy. While she was taking another sip of her drink she realised there was one thing she hadn't asked him.

"So, William, I'm curious, how did you find me?"

"Now that is a top secret police," he teased.

"Oh I see," she said playing along. "Please forgive me, ."

"Quite alright. But if you must know I ran your name through the driver's license database."

"Ah." She ripped of another slice of garlic bread and bit it in half. A thin line of melted butter ran down her chin and, without thinking too much about it, he reached over and wiped it off. She smiled sweetly at him and, deciding what the heck, he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to hers. Her last thought was how much her breath most reek of garlic but that was all forgotten about by the time his hand gently cupped the back of her neck. The smell of his cologne washed over her but she was more focused on the way his lips felt on hers. It was short and sweet (as the both remembered where they were) but it caused heat to radiate through her as if the sunlight was being directly pumped through her veins.

She bit her lip gently as he pulled away and she flicked her braid over her shoulder as she leaned into the circle of his arm. She felt a short, sharp jab and before the pain was even felt she knew what was after happening.

A wasp had stung her.

She let out a curse word quite loudly and made sure the bloody thing had flown away before she inspected her finger. The stinger was lying a few centimetres from the sting site and she brushed it off with tears forming in her eyes. William reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a can of lemonade that was still somewhat cold. He placed gently on her finger and she gasped. He apologised automatically but she waved it off and when the can had lost its coolness he removed it.

"Better," he asked and she nodded. "It's an odd time of day for it to be out."

She rolled her eyes. "I've always just seemed to attract them. The first time I was stung Ruby had dared me to climb a tree that was home to wasp's nest. To top it all off also broke my arm by falling from the tree when they all started flying at me."

"That must have been quite painful."

"Oh it was." She leaned her head on his shoulder and watched as people went by as oblivious to her as she was to them.

Darkness fell around them but they only thing that eventually persuaded them to leave was when Julia saw what time it was and remembered she had work in the morning. She had brought a warmer jacket with her this time but just like last night she linked her arm through his and pulled him close. As they walked he continued naming out the stars to her and she smiled out how impassioned he seemed to get about things like earlier when she had told him she sometimes watched CSI. She already a fair idea about the inaccuracies but she was content to listen as, to her at least, he had voice that could read the phone book and still be interesting.

They turned and faced each other when they reached her apartment building. He kissed her again, longer this time and with a bit more intensity. When they pulled apart there was a smile on both their faces.

"I'll text you tomorrow," she told him and then went inside. He nodded and made his way home with the taste of her lips fully engrained in his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

_So here we are chapter 4! So I have jumped ahead about nine months (and no there is no baby). So while this starts to get into the case and other stuff, I still couldn't resist the fluff Jilliam scene in this. Oh and when you read the end of this, please don't murder, at least until I've seen the season finale.. Enjoy! :)_

Patience is a virtue, or so Victoria's mother always told her but when two hours later the restaurant's owner, Robert Duncan, still hadn't shown up for his shift, she lost it. He only lived above the restaurant but one of the first rules she was told was that under no circumstance were you to go up there. She handed a couple their menus and slipped into the corridor that connected the kitchen to the dumpsters out back. She went into her call list, pressed redial and tapped her foot impatiently. When it rung out and went to voicemail, she swallowed a fresh wave of exasperation, effortlessly put a smile on her face and responded to the chef's call for service.

[x]

It was moments like this that William would always cherish the most; the moments where he was just so perfectly at peace with another human and their vulnerability. Julia's skin was soft under his touch as he traced a pattern on her hip with his thumb. She let out a contented sigh as she nuzzled her face deeper into her pillow. He had come to realise in the past few months that Julia absolutely hated Mondays and sometimes the look on her face would be purely comical.

"The alarm's going to go off," he said his breath warm on her neck. He kissed the back of her head. She groaned before turning over to face him and buried her forehead in the crook of his neck. "Would you like to shoot the messenger?"

"Very much so," she mumbled, her tickling his chin, "but I'd miss him."

He laughed and they remained in each other's embrace until the alarm clock shattered the tranquillity. He pulled back the covers, disentangled himself, stood up and waited to see if she would join him. After a few seconds he asked her in mock seriousness if he would need to drag her.

"You even try and this time I won't hesitate to shoot you," she told him, speaking into the mattress. About a second later she raised a hand to him and he gently lifted her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck at the same time he put his hands on her waist and she kissed him slowly in a way that made him regret getting out of bed. When the kiss ended he kissed her forehead before leaving her to shower and get ready for the day.

[x]

Victoria picked up a paper from the newsstand and the front page story caused no shock; Robert Duncan's death had gone from being a tragic accident to homicide after the ME concluded that Mr. Duncan had been dead before the fire started. Victoria swore, looking at the photo of the burnt shell of the restaurant, that the fire would be something she'd never forget; the way the flames ate up the building and everything inside like it hadn't been fed for days. In the time she had worked for him he had managed to rub her up the wrong way quite a lot but she stuck it out because the guy paid well; university wouldn't pay for itself.

The police station was busy when she arrived. She recognised most of the civilians present as people who were there on the night of the fire. A few of the regulars and her co-workers said hi and she waved at them before signing in and sitting down. She took out her worn copy of _The Bell Jar_ and started to read; she had feeling it was going to be a long wait.

[x]

A common thread William found in his interviews with the Mr. Duncan's employees was that not one of them liked him; some tried to hide it, others made it plainly known with a colourful array of adjectives. Thought despite the animosity he didn't think any of them had a motive for murder. Sighing he flipped to a new page in his notebook.

The next witness identified herself as Victoria Shaw. She was tall, young, with black hair to her shoulder and brown eyes. He greeted her politely before gesturing for her to sit down. He asked her some routine questions before getting to what he really wanted to discuss.

"Ms. Shaw, you were the one who discovered the fire. Can you tell me how that came about?"

"Well, Mr. Duncan was like two hours late for his shift so I called him 'bout five maybe six times. When he never answered, I went upstairs to his apartment through the back of the restaurant to see if he was ok."

"And was it usual for him to be late for his shift?"

"Yeah, but he usually answered his phone after 'bout the third time you tried calling him."

"And what time did you go upstairs at?"

"Like at around eight, eight thirty."

"And you're sure didn't see anything odd," he asked her again going back to routine questions. She said no again with a shake of her head and he told her she could go.

[x]

The case was four days old when Julia and Emily met for lunch The ME had managed to scrape together enough tissue for a tox screen and had officially signed off that cause of death was an overdose of nitro-glycerine. A friendship had grown between the two of them that had seen solidified on New Year's Eve when they both had had a bit too much to drink and, according to everyone else, they had had a great time together. They always met at the same little café that was close to both their workplaces.

Emily's phone vibrated on the table and she checked the caller ID before answering. She listened with mild interest; George was just going to repeat this all to her again when she got back to the station anyway.

"You found the guy's doctor….You want me to go straight there," she asked before sighing. "Murdoch's meeting me…Yeah….And the name…..What?!"

The exclamation caught Julia's attention and she turned from the window to look at Emily. Her friend seemed almost uncomfortable while she tried to play down the situation to George. She told him over again that she thought it was someone else and that "no she didn't know him", whoever he was. She eventually hung up although Julia was sure George hadn't finished talking.

"You alright," Julia asked. Emily nodded but a look of uneasiness stayed on her face. Julia didn't push the issue and they sat in a slightly awkward silence until William arrived. When he did, Emily excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Emily had forgotten all about it, about the name, mostly because it was none of her business. Julia hadn't told her about her divorce so she wasn't going to advertise the fact that she knew; but if he became a suspect she would have to tell William, there would be no two ways about it. Though the thought of being the one to tell him, landing Julia firmly and deeply into hot water made her feel like a horrible friend; but she would have to tell him for the sake of any court case that may come from this murder investigation. Taking a deep breath she returned back to the table and smiled like nothing was wrong.

It was starting to rain as William and she made their way to Mr. Duncan's doctor and to Julia's ex-husband.

To go question Doctor Darcy Garland.


	5. Chapter 5

_Ok guys first off I'm so sorry this took so long but between school and homework and my internet breaking down this is literally the quickest I could get this up. Just to warn you Dr Douche ( aka Dr Garland) is in this chapter but muse took it this way so I shall go with it. This is a little shorter than usual but the next chapter is almost done and I'm holiday's for two weeks now so I shall be able to upload more often. I think that's all. Enjoy! :)_

Emily walked with hands in her pockets, eyes firmly planted on her black heeled boots. It was habit she had picked up has a child; whenever she had secret she would avoid eye contact with everyone, thus advertising the fact she had secret and, no matter how hard she tried, she kept doing it and it drove her nuts. Every so often, William would look at her from the corner of his eye and she pretended not to notice, His concern just made everything ten times worse.

Dr Garland's practice was located in an older building but it still had security and Emily flashed her badge at the guard; walking at a speed that deserved a record. She just wanted this done. His office was on the third floor and the rode the elevator in an awkward silence.

"Dr Garland's with a patience," his receptionist explained with a well-practiced smile. "But he should be able to squeeze you in after."

William thanked her and sat down beside Emily in the waiting area. She picked up a magazine and began reading, trying to lose herself in someone else's secrets and stories. After a few seconds she got bored and dropped the magazine back on the pile. She took out the phone and saw a text from George; needless to say he wasn't happy. She ignored it and slipped her phone back in her pocket and started tapping her foot.

"Emily are you OK?"

"Yeah, fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Her tone was slightly more aggressive and defence than she had intended and she felt bad when she saw the look of surprise on her colleague's face.

"I don't know you just seem on edge, is all."

"Well I'm fine," she said again and went to pick up another magazine when a door at the end of the hall opened. A tall self-assured almost supercilious looking man came out behind an older man with a cane. They shook hands and receptionist indicated that he was free for them now. Emily stood up in one fluid movement and showed Dr Garland her badge, more out of habit than anything else. He followed them in and gestured for them to sit down.

"I'm sorry I don't have much time," Dr Garland and then went on to explain that he had a lot of appointments. His voice sounded like money Emily noted; they kind of money that her parents liked to associate themselves with. He wasn't ugly but he wasn't particularly handsome either. HE had the kind of face, she supposed, that rarely saw a smile.

"That's fine," William assured. "This shouldn't take long. How well did you know the victim?"

"Not well, Detective. He came about every six weeks to get a repeat prescription."

"What medication was he on," Emily asked, cutting across William's next question. Her eyes had never left Dr Garland's but for the first time he properly looked at her and she felt herself shrinking somewhat under his gaze. How did Julia marry this? "Any containing nitro-glycerine?"

"Yes those were the ones for his heart. He was also on one for his blood glucose levels."

"And when was he last here," William asked breaking the layer of tension that had formed like cellophane.

"Friday."

William noted that down. _So he most likely had a full bottle of meds_, he mused to himself. He asked him so more standard questions about strange behaviour and the like but got nothing useful until he was almost ready to leave when Dr Garland said," He was with a young girl when he was with last. I thought she was his daughter but he never spoke about her."

"Do you think you could describe him to sketch artist," Emily asked him as she stood up.

"Yes, I think so but it will have to be after work."

"Of course," William said as he handed over his number to him.

[x]

Emily went straight to the break room when she returned to the station. She knew a conversation with George was unavoidable but she wanted to delay for it for as long as she could; she needed time to think of something to explain her little outburst. This interlude was transitory though as, when she had taken her first sip of coffee, George entered and closed the door behind him.

"How did the interview go," he asked as he made his own coffee. She knew George already knew how it went; William had undoubtedly told him but she told him it went fine. "Did he recognise you?"

"No George." She put down her cup. "I don't know him."

"Then what was with the shock when I told you, Emily?"

"Nothing," she told, faking as much conviction as she could and then added lamely, "I thought he was someone else."

"You better not be lying."

She shook her head; saying it loud just made it worse. She slid off the stool. "William's gonna need help calling the employees to see if they know the girl Duncan was with."

She sat down at her desk and took half of the list from William. She stared blankly at it for a few seconds before picking up the receiver and typing in the number. As it started ringing she hoped to God Dr Garland didn't have any more to do with this.


	6. Chapter 6

_Ok first off sorry for the long delay but my computer is being a retard. Secondly thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing it sounds like such a simple thing to say and yet I kept forgetting to do it . Thirdly, my end of year exams are in like a month and seeing as haven't really done a whole load up to now cramming is in order so I'm going to have less time. But I swear on William Murdoch that I am not abandoning this at all. This is the longest fanfic I have done and I'm not giving up now. Fourthly, enjoy this chapter. :)_

"Ms. Shaw, is this a bad time?" William asked. Wherever she was it was noisy; in the background he could hear the hiss of an espresso machine, a chorus of voices talking and shouting orders and a symphony of cups rattling of saucers. She told him it wasn't; asked him to wait one more minute and then called to someone she was taking her break. A door opened then closed and it was finally quite.

"Sorry about that, Detective. You were saying?"

"Yes, some new information has just come to light and we were wondering if you know of any young female relations Mr. Duncan might have had.?"

"Um, he had a niece who was staying with him."

"A niece," he repeated. "Do you know her name?"

"Abigail Williams."

"Ms. Shaw I thought Mr. Duncan was a private person?" Having a niece staying with him when the guy hated people in his apartment just didn't make sense to him.

"He was. Look, I dunno what was going through the man's head, all I know he was staying with him."

"Do you happen to know where she is now," he asked. She seemed to hesitate a fraction of a second before answering that she didn't but if she learned anything she would tell him. "Ms. Shaw why didn't you tell me about Abigail before?"

" 'Cause Abby's" –he noted the use of the nickname-"Not a killer. And besides she wasn't there that night and no I don't know where she was. Look, Detective, I really have to get back to work."

William thanked her before putting down the receiver. He swirled his chair around and silently observed everyone for a moment- people on phones, making coffee and filing reports- before writing the new information on the murder board. Hopefully with the sketch, they'd be able to find her.

[x]

"Yo, Hastings can you come here for a minute?" George called across the floor. The detective in question raised her head and after a second pushed out her chair and walked over to them. George handed her three pieces of straw cut into various lengths and then told Emily and William to turn around.

"Right you, guys, I'm ready," Hastings said when she had the pieces of straws held in a fist. Emily went first and only started breathing again when the piece William had picked was smaller than hers. It was George who ultimately picked the smallest one and William was pretty sure he had never heard anyone curse as much, not even the drunks he brought in as a uniformed officer.

"Have fun," William told him sarcastically as he grabbed his jacket and headed towards the elevator with Emily tow. He pressed the call button and when it arrived, Dr Garland stepped off and ran his eyes around the room. George greeted him and almost shoved him into the break room where the sketch artist was waiting. William and Emily rode the elevator again in silence.

[x]

William fitted the key into the lock and entered Julia's apartment. He had for all intents and purposes moved in, only going back to his own place when he knew he was going to be finished very late in work; he had a toothbrush in her bathroom, half of her closet space had his work attire and casual clothes. When he stepped inside there was the faint smell of burnt food still lingering in the air. Pots and pans had been left in the sink and Julia was sitting on the couch with Chinese takeout on her lap.

"You may give your compliments to the chef now or later," she said to him, making a grand sweeping gesture at the spring rolls, prawn crackers and the unopened box of food. He kissed her on the forehead while she put the prawn that had been on her fork into her mouth and then sat down beside her.

"Well then I shall call them when I'm done," he teased. She stuck her tongue out at him. "What happened to your nice home-made meal?"

"Well besides my lack of culinary ability, Ruby called to swoon over some Irish reporter and I completely forgot to check on the food. How was work?"

"Fine. We managed to find out that victim had a niece." He toyed with his food and she could tell there was a question burning in the back of his mouth but she didn't prob. They ate in silence until he asked," Was Emily Ok when you had lunch?"

"Yeah. Well, there was her shock when Crabtree told her a witness's name. Maybe she knew them."

"But she didn't. It was like she was hiding something."

"Oh." Julia was going to say more but her phone rang with the pre-set ringtone. William raised his eyebrows; almost everyone on Julia's phone had their own ringtone or if two shared a song it was still from the music collection she had on her phone.

"Hi, Dad." Forced politeness dripped off every word and the fact it was her father caused him to be even more surprised. Julia had told him one night that she hadn't talked to her father in almost 2 years, she hadn't said why but she had made it perfectly clear that she wouldn't be the one extending the olive branch. "This Saturday…there's nothing wrong with my tone of voice….Dad, why I do have to go…..Ruby will be back, she's only in Boston." The argument continued back and forth for a while before Julia sighed and asked if she agreed to go would he hang up and leave her alone. He must have agreed because Julia said yes and hung up. She sighed and when William had put his food back on the table she laid her head in his lap.

"What was that about?" His hand gently started stroking her hair.

"I just agreed to go to charity dinner in my sister's place. Would you care to spend an evening with some rich old men and bored socialites?" She made it sound like being taken to the gallows. He said yes even though the very thought made him feel uncomfortable. Never mind meeting her father, but he didn't like large social gatherings let alone gatherings of people with too much money.

[x}

Abigail Williams had been found that Saturday at the train station waiting for the afternoon to train to Buffalo. She was of medium height with brown hair tied back in a ponytail and green eyes that scanned the station nervously. Two uniformed officers escorted her to the interview room and George waited until they were at of earshot before saying he thought it would be best if Emily handled the interview. William didn't object; he had a dinner to prepare, after all.

[x]

"William will you stop fussing," Julia said as she applied her eyeliner. _Easy for you_, he thought. From the way Julia had been preparing he could only guess how many of these things she had attended in her lifetime. She walked over to him, took the plain black tie from his hand and began tying it. "We'll stay for an hour, max. We'll eat, say hi to all the right people and then leave."

"And what about your father," he asked.

Julia rolled her eyes. "You leave daddy dearest to me," she told him as she smoothed out his tie. She kissed him quickly and went to get her heels. William grabbed her wrist, pulled her back to him and started kissing her again; slow and thoroughly and enough to make her knees go weak. She would have been quite content to stay that way forever, really, but her phone beeped on the bed. It was her father's driver. Julia slipped on her heels, gathered her stuff and followed William out.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey guys so this is chapter 7! Again thanks to everyone who is reading this, you guys are awesome. Alright so this is where the angst starts (sorry) so you know prepare. Also this chapter is a lot shorter than the last few but everything I wanted to say, I said and the next one will be(hopefully) longer and will be more case orientated but the fallout from this will be touched upon. I think that's all. Bonne lecture!_

As Julia sipped her drink she wondered whose idea it was to put the bar and the dance floor outside given the chilly night temperatures. Though she supposed the country club didn't have the biggest ball room which was currently filled with enough tables to seat all of the guests for dinner. They were unsurprisingly sitting at the same table as her father; she was seated beside him and William across from her.

They were now sitting at one of the tables, usually used for summer lunches after a round of golf, watching the other couples as they danced. Every few minutes William would fix his tie and sit up a little straighter. He clearly looked uncomfortable and she felt a little guilty. She should never have asked him to come. She could handle her father on her own but it was nice having at least one person she knew had her back completely.

Finishing the last of her drink, she stood up and held out her hand to him." Care to dance, Detective?"

William raised one sceptical eyebrow. "Julia, you know me and dancing don't go well together."

Julia laughed fondly. It was about four months into their relationship; William was staying the night at her apartment and somehow they ended up dancing around her sitting room, stepping on each other's toes. She had then signed them up for dancing lessons, as a joke mostly but looking at the other people dancing she was glad she had. She didn't want him tripping over and grabbing her ass again.

"It'll be fun." It was a lie, but she was getting bored waiting for dinner to be served. He accepted her hand and as they turned to make their way to the floor, there suddenly wasn't enough oxygen in the world for her as bumped into Darcy.

[x]

Julia walked with fury in her step through the lobby, down a hallway and into the men's dressing room. She flipped on the light and then she wish hadn't; William was holding his right hand gingerly in his left with an almost unreadable cocktail of emotions on his face. She could still here the sickening sound of bone striking cartilage and she honestly wasn't surprised; Darcy was narcissistic and William was protective. She had been handling it fine, not spectacularly, but she had had it under control. What was it with men and their egos? She had been married to Darcy she knew how to defuse his inflated sense of self.

"You were married to him?" He didn't sound angry, more like betrayed. After all, she had known about Liza, but they also had this rule not to push the other into revealing something they didn't want to.

"Yes I was," she answered, barely keeping her voice even. "But do you really think that's the biggest problem we have right now? You hit him, William; he could have your badge"

"My badge? Julia, you lied to me!"

"I didn't lie-"

"-You just, what, didn't tell me the full truth? That's the same thing as lying."

Was it? He had never out rightly asked her about her past relationships, if he had she probably would've told him. The why hadn't she told him anyway? Simple, it was one big huge mistake, one she still felt in the shadow, one she had been trying to forget and saying it to someone just made everything that happened so real. But what did it even matter anymore? She hadn't told him and this where it got her.

"Why do you even care? It was before I even met you."

"Julia, you were married! How could it not mean anything?"

"I'm still the same person! Unless this makes me untouchable under your Catholic law?"

Julia regretted it the second the words took their arrowhead shape and flew towards him. Religion had always been a touchy subject with them, one she had had her disagreements with but she had never frontal assault attacked it before. She knew hom much his faith meant and she just insulted one of the things in his life he held most dear.

"William, I'm sorry, I never-"

"-I should go. Please tell your father something is after coming up."

"Will," she called after him but he was already gone. She sat on the one benches that lined the light yellow walls and watched as, crack by crack, the last nine months of happiness came crashing down.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey you guys guess who got to update earlier than planned? So first off in response to a reviewer, you guys will get to know what was said between Darcy, Julia, and William. It will be in a future chapter which is coming along nicely. Secondly, thank you guys so much for the reviews for the last chapter, it's awesome to you know you like it and this chapter is much longer. Well I think that's it. Bonne lecture!_

Abigail chewed, nervously, on her thumb nail, leg restless under the metal table. She had taken off her dark olive green jacket and now she sat there in a black Nirvana t-shirt untucked over a mid-thigh length skirt. William fast forwarded the interview tape. He wasn't meant to be working today but his other plans with Julia had been effectively cancelled. How could she not have told him she had been married? And how could Emily not have told him? After he had found out whom Dr Garland really was it had all clicked like a seatbelt being fastened in his head.

It must have come up in the initial search nine months ago and she had chosen not to tell for whatever the reason and had still neglected to tell him when they went to interview him. Now her secrecy and uneasiness made clear and painful sense. They were meant to be partners, they were meant to be able to trust each other; was that such a quixotic idea?

William pressed play at the exact second the door to the interview room opened. Abigail flinched slightly and then her terrified eyes followed Emily until she sat down. She visibly swallowed and sat further back into the chair, subconsciously trying to escape. Whether it was from guilt or uncertainty about the situation he wasn't sure. Emily opened her folder and sat up with straight without giving out any air of aggression; being cordial but still establishing control. "I'm Detective Grace.

No response. Abigail started biting her nails again.

"Ms. Williams, why were you going to Buffalo?"

She shrugged. Under the table, her leg started shaking again.

"You are aware this is a murder investigation, aren't you?"

She nodded, eyes darting everywhere around the room, avoiding eye contact. She was very restless.

"Ms. Williams, are you going through a withdrawal of something?"

She shook her head.

"Where were you last Saturday at approximately half seven in the evening?"

"At the university library studying."

"Did anyone see you?"

She shrugged again.

"Did you kill your uncle?"

Her eyes widened. "No, he was the only person in my family I actually liked-"

William paused the video and took out his headphones. So Abigail liked her uncle; which he found odd. She was the only one who did. William moved to close the window and something caught his attention; a bracelet. It was thin black string with a half of a broken heart on it. He didn't remember seeing it before but there was something strikingly familiar about it.

[x]

Emily glanced over the fire investigator's preliminary report again before entering the interview room. The findings were more or less inconclusive at this point; they didn't find any traces of accelerant or any indication of an electrical fault so they said it could be a cigarette or a tea towel on the stove. She sat down across from Abigail. She and George had managed to scrape together enough circumstantial evidence to keep her in custody for twenty four hours.

"Ms Williams, did your uncle smoke?

She shook her head, her loose, messy bun moving too.

"Do you smoke?"

She shook her head.

"Do you have any other family in the city? Anyone one to stay with?"

"Yeah, I have a friend from college."

"Well, I'm going to need their name and address. You'll be released shortly."

Once outside, she asked a uniformed officer to take Abigail to be processed out; there wasn't much point in holding her any longer. Personally, Emily didn't think she had done it. She was nervous but she did seem to genuinely like her uncle. When she reached the bullpen area, William looked at her and she smiled at him but he didn't return the gesture. Uneasiness began to crawl from the pit of stomach, up her throat and spread throughout the rest of her body. She decided to by-pass her desk and went straight to the break room.

She told herself, as she made coffee, that she was just being paranoid. Maybe he just hadn't seen her? She overfilled her coffee cup and cursed as the hot liquid scalded her hand. Through the window, she saw William take out his headphones and stand up. He closed the door behind him and started making tea. It was all normal, almost too normal and she watched him out of the corner of her eye as she sat down.

She was reminded of the incident with George three days ago when he had confronted and she felt her throat begin to dry." Did you read fire report?" She asked.

He nodded and filled up his mug before sitting down in front of her. "How long have you known?"

She took another sip of coffee. This time, it was tasteless.

[x]

"I didn't lie!"

_You just didn't tell the truth,_ he retorted to himself. That was the second time in just over twelve hours he had heard that. Did people not understand the definition of lying? She had been asked if she knew Dr Garland and she said she hadn't. Therefore she had lied.

"You found out Julia had been married to him when I asked you to get her phone number and you didn't say so."

"You never asked!"

"And you didn't think to tell me anyway?"

"It wasn't my place. I had forgotten all about it until George told me his name. It was before you two even met."

"Why does everyone seem to think that doesn't matter?!"

Emily's mouth slackened and fell open. She had seen him get annoyed at suspects before, exasperated to a point where she would have understood if he had lost it but she never heard him lose his cool like that. Ever.

"What's going on here?" George's voice quiet but no-one could mistake the authority that was in every word.

"Emily lied about knowing Dr Garland." It was such a simple statement but the impact was like being hit by a train going a hundred miles an hour. She had lied about knowing a witness who could have become a suspect.

"Will, I think you should leave, you weren't supposed to be working today anyway. Now." He added when William tried to protest. Emily shrank under his final look in her direction and sighed with relief when the door closed behind him. It was short lived.

"Sit down, Emily."

[x]

Victoria texted Abigail that she was there to collect her though she doubted she had phone. She pressed the elevator's call button again and tapped her foot. It eventually dinged as the doors opened and she walked forward into someone's chest. She let out a surprise gasp and grabbed her phone before it fell; she couldn't afford to replace it.

"Ms Shaw, I didn't know you got called in," William said, anger momentarily lulled.

"Oh, I didn't. I'm here to get Abby; she's staying with me," she explained as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, exposing her wrist and the black string bracelet with the half of a broken heart dangling on it. That's where he had seen it before.

"Well, I won't delay you but just one more question. Where did you get your bracelet?"

"One of my foster sisters. Can I-"she gestured to the elevator and he nodded. She stepped in and the doors closed. He took out his phone and texted Hastings to run a background check on Abigail to see if they were ever foster sisters.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: So guys I'm so sorry about the mini hiatus but between exams and and my computer deciding to go on strike...well you get the picture. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed and for your this is chapter 9 and I know I told you guys that you'd get the scene between William Julia and Darcy but when I went to write it and tried to fix it I just couldn't get it right so I have included a cliffnotes version in this and if i get it properly written I might upolad it separately. Again I'm sorry about that.

Ruby stepped of the train and made her way through the train station. there wasn't many people. It was still early; so early, in fact, that she would normally still be in bed but Julia had sounded so upset in the voicemail she had left that Ruby had told her editor that there was a family emergency and caught the earliest train she could. Texting Julia that she was on her way, she got into the nearest cab and told the driver the address. As they drove town, there was only one thing Ruby could think of that would make her sister sound so heartbroken. Why couldn't her sister ever catch a break?

First there was the guy who ran a mile when Julia ended up pregnant, then there was Darcy and now whatever was happening now. Ruby grabbed her suitcase from the trunk and told the driver to keep the change. When she reached the seventh floor she used her own key to enter. She deposited her suitcase by the door and walked to where Julia was sitting on the couch with a light blue blanket draped around her shoulders. She tore her gaze from the window and looked at Ruby with a sad, watery, almost slightly amused smile on her face. "I've managed to do it again, Ruby."

Julia started crying. Ruby wrapped an arm around her shoulder and held her close.

[x]

It took over half an hour for Julia to tell her what happened; how they had bumped into Darcy and how he told William who he actually was and, when they had tried to leave, Darcy had grabbed Julia's arm and William had hit him. Ruby leaned against the counter and listened to shower. She had always hated Darcy and she tried to talk Julia out of the marriage quiet a few times. In her mind he was like Tom Buchanan; he smashed things up and then retreated back into his Mayflower old money. The kettle finished boiling and she added the boiling water to the instant cappuccino mix. She left one on the breakfast bar and nursed hers in her emerged from her room in a fresh pair of pajamas, her hair still damp. She drank her coffee silently, not really tasting the bitter sweetness; it was as bland as the colour white.

"Jules, you need to talk to him."

"Not now, Ruby, please?"

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

Ruby sat across from her. "Jules, if you do nothing, he's gone forever."

[x]

William had found himself in the park. He consciously hadn't chosen to go there but after wandering aimlessly around town he had decided that if you were going to be lonely it would be nice to have something to distract you. He walked past families, couples and children playing until he got to the oak tree; their oak tree. Someone else had carved a heart into it a while ago and he hoped they were fairing a lot better than he was.

He sat under the gentle sun filtering through the trees and closed his eyes. He tried to turn his mind into a blank canvas but it had ideas. It began playing it's compilation of memories; them kissing under the stars, them having a snowball fight and them getting stuck in rush hour traffic in Montreal. She had almost killed him when he kept trying to backseat drive. She was cute when she got annoyed at him.

Sighing, he stood back up and started walking.

[x]

"William, " Father Murphy greeted, " Confession isn't until six."

"I know father...but I was wondering if I could talk to you outside of confession?"

"What's bothering you?" He came down off the altar. He was an older man of about sixty with light grey almost white hair. He sat down beside William in the second pew.

"It's Julia."

"Ah." He was an older man; he had had many parishioners over the years and many of the problems they had sought clarity one was relationships. He listened to the story William was telling him without comment until he stopped him by asking," Do you love her?"

Too dumbstruck to speak by the boldness of the question, he nodded. Father Murphy continued," Remember, William, not everyone is going to see the world like you or I. Put it in perspective, could you honestly see yourself happy without her?"

He left the question hanging in the air for William to take and ponder or to completely ignore. He told William he could stay as long as he wanted before disappearing into the back of the church.


End file.
